One of the unreported key events in the mainstream media at the recently concluded 57th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna was the coming together of scientists from all over the world.

Europe is a major consumer of drugs, and thus a major driver of the drug market. It is also the home of some of the best examples of evidence-based, people-centered, public health-driven policies and was a leader in the early and large-scale implementation of harm reduction.

The world is fraught with too much violence, too much crime, too much addiction, too many overdose cases, too many prisons, too many bullet holes, too many AIDS cases, and too many bills related to prohibition. The war on drugs has proved to be public enemy number one.